INDIANA AUDUBON QUARTERLY VOL. 95, NO. 4. NOVEMBER 2017
Fall 2017, page- 1 INDIANA AUDUBON SOCIETY, Inc.
Founded 1898 Incorporated 1939
OFFICERS President………………………………………………... Jeff Canada [email protected] Vice President………………………………………….. Ryan Slack [email protected] Past President………………………………….………..Amy Wilms [email protected] Secretary………………………………………...... Kim Ehn [email protected] Treasurer………………………………………………..Sally Routh [email protected] Editor Cardinal (Director)…………………………….John Lindsey [email protected] Webmaster……………………………………………...Amy Wilms [email protected]
DIRECTORS
Term Expires 2017 Term Expires 2018 Term Expires 2019 John Lindsey Amy Kearns Kristin Stratton Michael Hall Kim Ehn Mark Welter John Velasquez Shari McCollough
FIELD NOTE/COUNT EDITORS/BIRD RECORDS CHAIR
Editor Quarterly…………………………………..Brad Bumgardner [email protected] Field Note Editor (Spring)……………………………… Bob Carper [email protected] Field Note Editor (Summer)……………………………...Ken Brock [email protected] Field Note Editor (Fall)…………………………………….Kim Ehn [email protected] Field Note Editor (Winter)……………………………...... Open May Bird Count and Final Edit Editor………….....Matt Kalwasinski [email protected] Summer Bird Count Editor…………………………….Amy Kearns [email protected] Winter Feeder Count Editor………………………….. John Castrale [email protected] Christmas Count Editors……………………………..… Jeff Canada [email protected] Indiana Bird Records Committee………………………....Kirk Roth [email protected]
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Brad Bumgardner
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MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Sally Routh (Chairperson) Amy Wilms
PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE SOCIETY (LIVING)
Susanna Arvin Sallie Potter Thomas Potter John F. Branham Karen Henman Alan W. Bruner Thomas Brinduse Edward Hopkins Marge Riemenschneider Kathleen Hoover Paul Steffen Gerald Dryer Dr. Russel Mumford Rebecca Lewis Carl Wilms Jane Miller Amy Wilms Brad Bumgardner
Fall 2017, page- 2
INDIANA AUDUBON QUARTERLY (Formerly the Indiana Audubon Society Yearbook) Published in February, May, August and November by The Indiana Audubon Society, Inc. Editor’s Address: 85 Old Hickory Lane, Valparaiso, IN 46385 Email: [email protected] Visit our website at www.indianaaudubon.org ______
Vol. 95, No. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2017 ______
A Tattler Wandering Indiana: A New State Species John Kendall………………………….……………………………………...... 4
Summer 2017 Indiana Field Notes Ken Brock.……………………… ……………….…………………..…………………8
Indiana Bird Records Committee 2016 Annual Report Kirk Roth……………………………...………………………………….………...... 12
Painted Bunting Record from Howard County: An Origin Mystery Solved Amy Kearns…..……………….. ……………………………………………………...14
The 2017 Indiana Audubon Society Big May Day Count Matt Kalwasinski………………………………………………………………………18
The Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis in Indiana Benjamin E. Leese………………………………………………………………..……29
Cover photo: First winter Franklin’s Gull at Michigan City Harbor, Laporte County, 16 October 2017. Photo by Matt Beatty.
Back cover photo: Orange-crowned Warbler at Lye Creek Burn, Montgomery County, 16 October 2017. Photo by Shari McCollough.
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Fall 2017, page- 3 A Tattler Wandering Indiana: A New State Species
John Kendall, Warsaw, IN [email protected] Eric Michael, Mishawaka, IN [email protected] Brad Bumgardner, Valparaiso, IN [email protected]
Introduction: Finding of a Wandering Tattler on July 20 at Michigan City Harbor was a birder’s dream. Three lucky birders were involved with the initial discovery, soon to be joined by others crowded around the normally lonely end of the Lighthouse Pier. Pending IBRC voting, Wandering Tattler will join a list of great vagrant shorebirds found the past few years in Indiana. The following represent the direct documentation accounts from the three original finders of the bird.
Eric Michael: I arrived at 8:40 a.m. during a westerly rainstorm, hoping to see shorebirds that might be dropping out. After the rain passed, the sky remained overcast, with winds over 20 knots. Brad Bumgardner and John Kendall went to the end of the Lighthouse Pier with a short-staying Brendan Grube. I went out just a little before noon, meeting Brad and John- who headed back to the beach for lunch. He mentioned that some photogenic Ruddy Turnstones had landed Wandering Tattler at Michigan City Harbor, briefly at the Lighthouse. While scanning the outer break 20 July 2017. Photo by Brad Bumgardner. wall for shorebirds, a medium to large dark charcoal gray- colored bird with a long, straight bill was below the Turnstones. At first, I tried to make the hard to see shape into an immature Starling.
Brad offered me a look through his scope of what could be a Spotted Sandpiper. This gray bird now showed darkly-barred flanks, unlike a Spottie. I began hurriedly taking photos (from the experience of having birds fly away), mentioning the barring on the flanks. He agreed and began searching through his field guide phone app.
About this time, John returned from lunch. Upon receiving a brief description of the bird and asking if it had barred flanks, John immediately and correctly initially submitted the idea that it was a Wandering Tattler. This was a species which was unfamiliar to me. We soon eliminated all other possibilities. Since it was initially unknown whether it was a Wandering Tattler or a Gray-tailed Tattler, it was decided it was a Tattler sp. and news was posted as such on social media. Many observers arrived and the bird chose to remain out in the open on and off for more
Fall 2017, page- 4 than an hour, eventually moving out of sight to the back side of the break wall.
Brad Bumgardner: Eric Michael joined us around noon, and like John and I earlier, began to do scans of the outer break wall. Around 12:25pm, Eric asked about a small dark gray bird he had spotted sleeping in the rocks on the far eastern end. I made a quick look and noted the shorebird, with its bill tucked in. To me, at first, the supercilium suggested Spotted Sandpiper. Eric quickly noted the overall gray appearance, and what appeared to be barring across the bird’s belly, which deviated from expected Spotted Sandpiper plumages. I agreed and began studying the bird in more detail. As it awoke, we noted the thicker, longer Wandering Tattler at Michigan City Harbor, 20 July 2017. Photo by John Kendall. bill, overall gray body, and yellow legs. The barring was more noted as it moved positions.
At this point, John Kendall returned from lunch, and as I was thumbing through possible western vagrants, John yelled out that our descriptions matched that of a Tattler, just as I was looking at the tattler page on my Sibley app. We had a Tattler! Within minutes, we were joined by many others. For the first hour, the bird was very visible, with short naps. After 2:30pm, the bird became increasingly more difficult to find, as it spent time in between rock cracks or on the back side of the outer break wall. I left at 3:50pm, having watched the bird since the initial sighting.
John Kendall: Upon my return from a beach lunch at 12:15 pm, Brad inexplicably shared: “well, we have a bird”. The description that he and Eric gave was: “Larger than a Turnstone, streaking/barring all down the flanks and just gray…” Were the legs yellow? “Yes, maybe so”. It was also…hiding in the rocks. The descriptions holistically suggested a Wandering Tattler. I just couldn’t think of another medium-large shorebird with such “stumper” field marks in fall. Furthermore, it was now hidden, acting like a “rockpiper”-the drab shorebirds with a tendency to work the crevices and thus, disappear among the rocks. Fresh in mind was my last visual image of a “gray ghost” Wandering Tattler doing just that on a pelagic trip out of Half Moon Bay, California.
The bird was lying down, facing us, only showing a cap and short, white supercilium. While watching it, the bird suddenly popped up its head and turned 90 degrees. Seeing the bird’s bill and face, I said (unable to stop from unconsciously channeling Flounder from the movie Animal House) “oh boy, is this (gonna be) great!” Red Knot, Stilt Sandpiper and others were thus eliminated. We studied the bill length, shape, short supercilium, dark loral line and grayish cap, further suggesting a Tattler. Soon, it stood up and walked. The barring, yellow legs, size and shape made it clear that we had a Tattler. Photos confirmed views showing that the barring continued throughout the under parts, eliminating the Pacific species, Gray-tailed Tattler. I thank Brad and Eric, who found the bird, stayed with it long enough for me and others to see it
Fall 2017, page- 5 and were kind enough to include me on the documentation. Thanks to Jeff McCoy for advertising and shaming me into investing in my first $40 annual Michigan City Harbor parking pass. It was a lot of fun interacting with the many birders who came to see it!
Some notes on Wandering Tattler East of the Rockies, Wandering Tattler is listed as an accidental or casual vagrant. From readily found information, there are now at least 9 records east of the Rocky Mountains and possibly as many as 12 and split between spring and fall. Pending Indiana Bird Records Committee acceptance, this record would be the 5th record of Wandering Tattler on the Great Lakes (4 in July/August). There are three records of 40-70 years ago on Lake Erie near Niagara, ON; 2 recent records on Lake Michigan (Illinois, and this pending Indiana record); and a recent record identified as Wandering/Gray-tailed Tattler in Michigan.
Being almost entirely a North American breeder, Wandering Tattler might seem to be a bit of an odd and perhaps an unlikely candidate as a vagrant shorebird here. It seems almost counterintuitive that there are species of “Asian” shorebirds (e.g. Ruff, Curlew and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers) that appear more regularly east of the Rockies. The bird has very low detectability. Similar to Surfbird in habits and distribution, Wandering Tattler is a “loner”, nesting singularly in open alpine meadows. It breeds in Alaska east to extreme NW Canada and winters on rocky coasts and jetties on both Pacific islands and the west coast. A relatively small population nests on the Chukchi Peninsula in extreme NE Russia. As of Wandering Tattler at Michigan City Harbor, 20 July 2017. Photo by John Kendall. 2008 at least, only two Wandering Tattler nests were known from Yukon Canada, in part because there is almost no coverage of the huge, remote expanses of their breeding habitat, which may also include some birds eastward into the Northwest Territories. Wandering Tattler’s breeding range and estimated population (10,000-45,000) are not accurately known. There are fall records of numbers of birds along coastlines in Alaska and British Columbia, suggesting that individual birds make post-breeding movements to coastal post-breeding staging areas. What follows is a medium-long distance migration to wintering areas in the south pacific and to winter along the west coast from British Columbia southward. Most Wandering Tattlers fly SW to south pacific islands, while a slightly smaller number of birds fly SSE to winter along the pacific coast. Adults (this record) leave beginning in mid-July with juveniles leaving at least one month later. The lack of a fuller understanding of breeding and staging distribution and apparent multitude of medium-long fall migratory trajectories (SW, S and SSE) makes this species’ migration path quite variable.
One type of avian vagrancy is Misorientation. Misorientation occurs when birds programmed to fly for a certain length of time in a certain direction vary their course in a predictably linear
Fall 2017, page- 6 pattern. Typical “mirror image” type mis-orientation vagrancy involves birds typically confusing east with west, heading ESE instead of WSW or SE instead of SW.
This is evidenced by being able to draw a line through the path of vagrant records on a globe through the destination locations back to where the birds breed (or stage). Reverse migration is an extreme form of mis-orientation, where the bird migrates 180 Degrees off course, heading north when it should go south, and vice-versa.
Interestingly, the 4-5 (5 if we include the Michigan record as a Wandering Tattler) fall Great Lakes’ records are on a line that suggests some type of east/west mis-orientation. For some unknown reason, the line does not connect with a point of origin location in Alaska, but rather would have to be south of the known breeding range. Since fall records in the east occur from zero to seventy years ago and follow the same migratory path, it would make sense that the vagrants are coming from historical breeding or possibly staging sites rather than some new location.
Nearly year-round rock-pipering seems to be paying off. In addition to a handful of eastern Surfbird Wandering Tattler watching at Michigan City Harbor, 20 July 2017. records (one on Lake Erie), there Photo by Carol Goodall. are also two NE coast US records of the western Pacific Gray-tailed Tattler during the past 5 years. The quest for Surfbird in Indiana has begun.
References Cited Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Species Accounts for Wandering and Gray-tailed Tattler, Birds of North America online, https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/home
Howell, Lewington and Russell, (2014) Rare Birds of North America, Princeton University Press.
Marchant, Prater and Hayman,(1986) Shorebirds, , Houghton Mifflin Co.
National Lampoon’s Animal House, (1978) Universal Pictures.
Fall 2017, page- 7 Summer Indiana Field Notes 2017
Ken Brock, Chesterton, IN [email protected]
The season’s highlight was the inconceivable appearance of a Wandering Tattler on Michigan City Harbor’s outer breakwater. According to research conducted Matthew Beatty no more than 15 have ever been reported away from the Pacific Coast. Other good finds included an inland Western Grebe, an adult White Ibis, Black-throated Blue Warblers, and a dead Painted Bunting.
Summer weather yielded near average temperatures and Temperature & Precipitation at Indianapolis: ample precipitation (see table). As a result scores of Departure from Normal shorebirds occurred in flooded fields across the state. Temp (ºF) Rainfall (in.) Jun +0.1 +2.28 Breeding season highlights included: Jul +0.8 +1.63
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck:- It was a record summer for this species with 10 birds reported (STYM=1.50). Records included a singleton at Kingsbury FWA on 3 June (Jeff McCoy), four in Terre Haute the following day (Steve Lima), and five at Goose Pond FWA on 10 June (John Adams).
Trumpeter Swan:- According to a 17 July e-mail from Allisyn-Marie Gillet, “Carl Voglewede from the USDA APHIS got some photographic evidence of the trumpeter swan cygnet during his surveys this year, confirming that the trumpeter pair was able to successfully nest in Indiana. The exact location is being kept confidential for the time being to avoid stress on the new Indiana family.
Northern Pintail:- The (5) males that Lynn H. Vernon found at Grant Street Wetland on 17 June tied Indiana’s third largest summer count (STYM=1.65).
Western Grebe:- On 27 June 2017 Bill Hubbard obtained excellent photographs of one on Lake of the Woods in Geneva, thereby providing Indiana’s second June record (and the first away from Lake Michigan). The bird was also a first Adams County record and the second record for northeastern Indiana (STYM=0.10).
Neotropic Cormorant:- An apparent immature was documented near the Willow Slough headquarters on 27 June (Edward M. Hopkins), providing Indiana’s 18th record.
Snowy Egret:- Leland & Thaddaeus Shaum, Neal Miller, and Carl Yoder found (1) at Grant Street Wetland on 16 June. On 19 June Matt Kalwasinski logged (3), two at the Hammond Cinder Flats and one at 129th Street wetland, tying the lakefront’s second largest daily count.
White Ibis:- On 15 July Steve Lima found an adult in the Vigo Co bottoms near Kennett. This individual lingered through 24 July, providing Indiana’s sixth adult record.
White-faced Ibis:- While conducting a Breeding Bird Survey in Wayne Co on 22 June, Bob Kissel discovered a Plegadis Ibis with reddish eyes and a white border surrounding a dull red face.
Fall 2017, page- 8 Sandhill Crane:- On 7 July Ronald and De Ronk found a colt near their Sullivan Co home. This report provided Indiana’s southernmost breeding record.
SHOREBIRDS Piping Plover:- There was an excellent late July flight with 10 “pipers” reported on the lakefront (TYM=2.25). The breakdown by age was: five adults and five juveniles.
Black-necked Stilt:- Copulating birds were observed at a Tippecanoe Co roadside pool (Hwy231 & CR800N) on 24 June (John K. Cassady, Lynea S. Hinchman, & KJB). On 17 July Edward M. Hopkins found an occupied nest at the site. Thanks to careful monitoring by Jeff Timmons a first breeding record for Madison County was confirmed on 12 July when he observed a family group of (4) near Lafayette. Michael R. Brown provided the following fascinating report from the Graysville area of Sullivan Co, “6 nests with eggs were originally seen but half were abandoned as the water completely disappeared within a week. The other 3 nests continued in the dry field and eventually (about 2 and 3 weeks later) fledged 11 chicks. At least 3 of these are now flying juveniles moving around the area.”
Juvenile Black-necked Stilt in American Avocet:- A dozen were reported, all on Lake Michigan Tippecanoe Co., 10 August (STYM=18.4). Jeff Packer logged the peak count, a flock of (9) at 2017. Photo by Brad Michigan City Harbor on 23 July. Bumgardner.
WANDERING TATTLER:- Incredibly, one was found at Michigan City Harbor about noon on 20 July. At that time Eric Michael, who was standing at the lighthouse with Brad Bumgardner, spotted the bird among the outer breakwater boulders. John C. Kendall was the first to put a name on the bird. In the next few hours at least 20 birders visited the lighthouse to see this visitor from the Pacific Coast, which (if approved by IBRC) will constitute a first Indiana record.
Marbled Godwit:- A 24 June flock on the Michigan City Harbor outer breakwall evolved from (3) (Jeffrey J. McCoy) before noon to (7) by late afternoon (Allee Forsberg and Kevin Cornell).
Willet:- A total of 38 were reported this summer. (STYM=103). Joe Bailey logged a noteworthy inland report of (8) at Fairfax, Lake Monroe on 11 July.
Sanderling:- An alternate adult at Michigan City Harbor on 8 July (Mike Bourdon et al.), provided the lakefront’s fifth earliest fall record.
Baird’s-Sandpiper:- On 22 July Bob Huguenard and Jeff McCoy observed (3) individuals in the rarely reported adult plumage at the Pierce Road wetland in St. Joseph Co.
Short-billed Dowitcher:- On 11 June Dan Collins, Gary and Lisa Bowman found (1) at Cane Ridge WMA. This is Indiana’s latest spring record by 8 days; the earliest fall date is 25 June.
Eurasian Collared-Dove:- This species, first reported in the state in 1999, has now expanded into 66 counties. The 1109 in the above map lists the number of Indiana records. Note also that the reports are concentrated in the western portions of the state.
Fall 2017, page- 9 Merlin:- Remarkably, one were reported in late June. An observed bird was perched along I-65 in southern Lake Co on the 24th (John K. Cassady). This report constitutes Indiana’s third record for June.
Black-billed Cuckoo:- The 41 reported this season constitute a record total for the summer season (STYM=13.7). The previous maximum of 27 was recorded during the summer of 2003.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo:- A remarkable 782 were reported for the season (STYM=208), which is an all-time summer maximum for Indiana.
Willow Flycatcher:- It was a record season with 642 reported for the summer (STYM=273). The peak tally was (23) that John K. Cassady logged at Beverly Shores on 10 June, but Steve Lima counted (22) at the Universal Mines on that same day.
Loggerhead Shrike:- Goose Pond’s third record was logged in unit GP6E on 24 June (Landon Neumann and Sean Verkamp). A nice photograph confirmed the sighting.
Blue-headed Vireo:- On 21 June Alex Sharp, Clayton Delancey, and Garrett MacDonald captured and banded (1) in HEE Unit 8, Brown County. The bird was also photographed in hand. This is the southern tier’s fourth summer record (all in June).
Red-breasted Nuthatch:- On 13 June Donald Sutherland, who was birding in Muncie, stated, “We heard the honking of Red-breasted Nuthatch and when it was listed as rare on the list, we decided to play the song to be sure we were not crazy and three fledgling RBNUs showed up.” This is Indiana’s ninth occurrence of breeding within the state; the most recent was in Westville (LaPorte Co) on 21 June 2009.
Marsh Wren:- It was another good summer for this species on the lakefront with reports from 13 different locations. The season’s peak tally was (33) counted at Grant Street Wetland on 3 June (Lynea S. Hinchman).
WARBLERS BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER:- Astonishingly, two Black-throated Blues were reported this summer and both were in Brown Co. These reports constitute Indiana’s first July and first nesting records; Indiana’s closest chronological Black-throated Blue (a male) occurred in Boone Co on 24 June 1989.
On 7 and 8 July Matthew Wistrand reported a female Black-throated Blue, paired with a male Cerulean Warbler, tending a nest on a private Brown Co road. Very low quality photos accompanied the report, but failed to confirm the identification. On 12 July Garrett MacDonald, Clayton Delancey, and Alex Sharp saw the bird and agreed with Matthew’s identification. They also obtained audio of the female’s Adult male Black-throated Blue Warbler in Brown Co., 12 July chips and observed 3 nestlings. 2017. Photo by Will Britton.
Fall 2017, page- 10
Incredibly, 8.5 miles further east (also in Brown Co) Will Britton mist-netted an adult male Black- throated Blue in Yellowwood State Forest on 12 July. Britton included a photograph showing the male in hand.
Canada Warbler:- Surprisingly, despite record season totals for most warblers, Canada Warblers were not reported in the state this summer (STYM=3.2).
Clay-colored Sparrow:- The season’s only report consisted of a bird that Annie Aguirre found at Boot Lake Preserve, Elkhart Co on 11 June.
Fox Sparrow:- Indiana’s fourth latest record was logged at the Hammond Sanctuary on 3 June (Bob Huguenard).
Rose-breasted Grosbeak:- Garrett MacDonald reported one singing in Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment Unit 8 (Brown County) on 9 July. This is only the 15th July record for the southern tier of counties (six of which were in Brown Co).
PAINTED BUNTING:- On 6 June Indiana’s fourth record (all males) was found by a crew working the power line right-of-way in Howard Co. As was the case with two of the three previous records, the bird was found dead. Joni James submitted a photograph of the specimen for documentation. See the subsequent article for the full details on this record.
Yellow-headed Blackbird:- A major surprise occurred 26 June when Kimberly Ehn discovered a male at parking lot “H” in Reynolds Creek G.H.A.. Kim’s observation provided a first site record and Porter County’s first report in two years. Dead Painting Bunting found in Howard Co., 6 June 2017. Photo
submitted by Joni James. Conventions:- Summer totals are frequently compared to average seasonal counts in the "Dunes area" (Calumet Region or lakefront) over the past 20 years, including the present year. This value is abbreviated "TYM" for Twenty Year Mean. The term “STYM” refers to the twenty-year mean for the entire state.
Fall 2017, page- 11 Indiana Bird Records Committee 2016 Annual Report
Kirk Roth, Indianapolis, IN [email protected]
The following is a recap of the 2016 Indiana Bird Records Committee (IBRC) records and other activities of the committee.
There are some records from 2016 yet to be voted upon, it is expected that these will be sent to committee in late January. These include the Townsend’s Solitaire, a Long-tailed Jaeger, Little Gull, Pacific Loon (Lake County and Marion County), Prairie Falcon, Western Kingbird, and White Ibis. There were several submissions this year for species which are not on the current review list, and these were not reviewed by the committee. These submissions were for the following species: Pileated Woodpecker, Harris’s Sparrow, Northern Goshawk, Great Egret (in December 2016) and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (in December 2015).
In 2015, the Black-tailed Godwit was added to the Indiana state list. The IBRC chair solicited opinions of shorebird experts from Europe and Australia on the subspecies identity of this bird. All agreed that it was more likely to be Limosa limosa islandica based upon several photographs. Their opinions will be archived with the IBRC record for this bird, along with the photos they were supplied. This information may be important in the future, as there is potential for a taxonomic split within this species. An article titled “The Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilis principalis) in Indiana” by Benjamin E. Leese was admitted to the archive.
The American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) made several taxonomic changes this year which affect Indiana birds. Early in 2017, the IBRC intends to update the state checklist in accordance with the order of the AOU list. Also, two vagrant Indiana species were split by the AOU. The former Green Violet- ear was split into the Mexican Violet-ear (Colibri thalassinus) from Central America and the Lesser Violet-ear (Colibri cyanotus) from South America. Indiana records pertain to the Mexican Violet-ear and the state checklist was adjusted accordingly. The other split concerning a species with an Indiana record is the Western Scrub-Jay being split into the Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma woodhouseii) and the California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica). Available photos of the scrub-jay which occurred in Tippecanoe county in 1999 are inconclusive, showing characteristics like both California Scrub-Jays and Woodhouse’s varieties from Texas. Investigation into this record is ongoing.
Records reviewed in 2016: Thayer's Gull, St. Joseph; 12/4/15; Accepted, Verified Spotted Towhee; Putnam; 1/14/16; Accepted, Verified Iceland Gull, St. Joseph; 1/29/16; Accepted, Verified Slaty-backed Gull, Porter; 2/20/16; Accepted, Verified Ruff, Benton; 3/27/16; Accepted; Verified Ruff; Gibson; 4/3/16; Accepted; Verified Neotropic Cormorant; Sullivan; 4/3/16 Accepted, Verified Neotropic Cormorant; Marion; 4/21/16 Accepted, Verified Cinnamon Teal, Gibson; 4/27/16; Accepted, Verified Spotted Towhee, Putnam County, 23 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Monroe; 4/28/16; Accepted, Verified January 2016. Photo by Kevin Cornell. Fall 2017, page 12
White-winged Dove, Grant; 5/7/16; Accepted, Verified Western Kingbird; Vanderburg; 5/8/16; Accepted, Verified Ruff, Hancock; 5/8/16; Accepted, Verified Kirtland's Warbler, Porter; 5/10/16; Accepted, Verified Ruff, LaPorte; 5/15/16, 5/16/16, 5/17/16; Accepted, Verified Black Rail, Jackson; 5/15/16, 5/17/16, 5/18/16, 5/20/16; Accepted, Verified Kirtland's Warbler, Lake; 5/17/16; Accepted, Verified Eurasian Tree Sparrow; Tippecanoe 6/19/16; Accepted, Verified Swallow-tailed Kite; Owen; 7/26/16; Accepted, Verified Swallow-tailed Kite (Lynnville), Pike; 8/13/16; Accepted, Verified Swallow-tailed Kite (Petersburg), Pike; 8/20/16, 8/23/16; Accepted, Verified California Gull, LaPorte; 8/31/16; Accepted, Verified White-winged Dove, Grant White-winged Dove, Parke; 9/1/16, 9/5/16; Accepted, Verified County, 07 May 2016. Photo Sabine’s Gull, Monroe; 9/12/16; Accepted, Verified by Ryan Sanderson. Brant, Lake; 9/16/16; Accepted, Verified Yellow Rail, Porter; 10/6/16; Accepted, Single Documenter Yellow Rail, Montgomery; 10/22/16; Accepted, Single Documenter California Gull , LaPorte; 10/24/16; Accepted, Verified Pine Grosbeak, Porter; 11/22/16; Accepted, Single Documenter Neotropic Cormorant; Dearborn; 8/13/13 Not Accepted Arctic Tern, Kosciusko; 5/26/15; Not Accepted California Gull, Marshall; 12/27/15; Not Accepted Great Black-backed Gull; Marion; 2/23/16 Not Accepted Cave Swallow, Park; 4/3/16; Not Accepted Sabine’s Gull, Monroe County, 14 Ruff, Pike; 4/5/16; Not Accepted September 2016. Photo by Evan Western Tanager; Porter; 5/17/16 Not Accepted Speck.
The IBRC re-evaluated the 2007 record of Audubon’s Oriole in Jefferson County. The record has been moved from “Origin Hypothetical” to the main list. Discussion of this record was contentious and led to debates regarding related topics as follows: 1) When should records be reconsidered. The bylaws stated that any record may be reconsidered for reasons stated in writing. Committee member John Kendall took issue that the precedent in his experience had been that new information must be presented, however nothing in the bylaws states this. After lengthy discussion, it was decided by the committee to amend the bylaws to require new evidence to be submitted in writing for a reconsideration. 2) A debate over the merits and utility of the “Origin Hypothetical” category itself was had, although little consensus was made. Opinions ranged from eliminating the category altogether to expanding the category, including Whooping Crane, Hooded Crane, Egyptian Goose, Barnacle Goose, Scaly-breasted Munia, European Goldfinch, Brown-headed/Pygmy Nuthatch, Audubon’s Oriole, “western”/California Scrub-jay and perhaps others. There was also discussion regarding whether the category should be changed in name or definition. As this was seemingly a major, important, and unresolved topic, the Chair promised to research the treatment given the category in other states and report options to the committee – some time in 2017.
The important issue of the hard copies of past records was discussed at the 2016 IBRC Annual Meeting. The stewardship of these copies is not codified in the bylaws and it is the intent of the Chair to address this in the coming year. The hard copies are currently at the Purdue Forestry Building under the supervision of Barny Dunning. There are no members whose terms expire at the end of 2016.
Fall 2017, page 13
Painted Bunting Record from Howard County: An Origin Mystery Solved
Amy Kearns, [email protected]
On the evening of 6 June 2017, I was at home browsing the Birding in Indiana Facebook group when I came across a photo posted by Joni James. The bird in the photo had obviously been dead for some time and was lying face down in the dirt, but it was still identifiable as an adult male Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris). I and others were keenly interested to know the bird’s location and if it was banded, as these clues could help shed light on whether the bird was of captive or wild origin. After many months and a long chain of email communications with bird banders and birders in the United States and Mexico, the origin of the bird was discovered and shared with me on 12 September 2017.
Description and Location Figure 1. Adult male Painted After the initial Facebook post, Joni James kindly provided me with Bunting (Passerina ciris) found dead under powerlines in Howard more information about the record. The bird’s carcass was found 1 County, Indiana, 1 June 2017. June 2017 by Josh Douglass, a utility forester working under Photo by Josh Douglass. powerlines in Howard County. Douglass recognized the bird as something unusual, photographed it, and sent the photo to his co-worker, Tim Bailey, who sent the photo to James on 6 June (Figure 1). After I asked through a Facebook comment if the bird was banded, Douglass went back to the location on 7 June, refound the bird, documented the exact location where it was found, and transported the carcass to James and Bailey. James and Bailey documented the bird’s feather condition with excellent photos before disposing of the carcass (unfortunately, the bird was in such poor shape that it was not salvageable as a specimen). Photos show that the bird was in good feather condition, with one broken tail feather, little overall feather wear, no abnormal or faded plumage, and no obvious signs of feather damage from captivity. A metal band on its right leg was inscribed with “SEMARNAT I 420901.” The carcass was found underneath powerlines, 1.5 miles SSE of the town of Phlox, at 40.3999, - 85.9113. The nearest public road was 0.38 miles to the west, and the nearest highway was 1 mile to the north. Figure 2. Locations of Painted Bunting Discussion on Origin sightings outside normal range as shown in Migrating birds can get blown off-course, fly in the wrong eBird 1 Jan. 2017 – 26 Sept. 2017 (eBird 2017. Accessed 26 Sept. 2017). direction, or overshoot their destination by many miles. Painted Fall 2017, page 14
buntings are one of many wild bird species that have an established record of vagrancy to distant places where they aren’t usually found. Indiana has three accepted records of this species, all adult males found in spring (Brock 2006). I searched eBird for other 2017 records of Painted Bunting and found sightings in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York, Ontario, and many other locations far outside the normal range for Painted Bunting (eBird 2017) (Figure 2). Painted Buntings are a popular cage bird in Mexico, thanks to its beautiful plumage and cheerful song. Although it is illegal to keep the species in captivity in the United States without special permits, the birds are sometimes smuggled into the country and kept illegally. This bird showed no obvious signs of being an escaped cage bird. It was in good feather condition, with one broken tail feather (the tip of R1) and intact flight feathers (Figures 3 and 4). In addition, James and Bailey’s photos show no bill injuries, missing crown feathers, or faded plumage, all of which can be additional signs of a bird that had been recently held in a cage (Figure 5).
Based on the condition of the carcass, the bird appeared to have died around Figure 3. Tail of Painted the last week of May, which fits right in with the majority of other vagrant Bunting specimen Painted Bunting reports from the Mid-continent (Mlodinow and Hamilton showing a single broken 2005). Because the carcass was found underneath powerlines and away from tail feather and no a public roadway, the cause of death may have been from a collision with abnormal wear or other breakage. The broken powerlines (a common cause of death for migratory birds) (USFWS 2016). feather is the tip of R1, The bird was found in a county with a low (3.3%) Hispanic or Latino one of two central population (U.S. Census Bureau 2016), which seems to indicate a lower rectrices. Photo by Joni likelihood that the bird had been kept as a pet locally. Thus, this bird showed James and Tim Bailey. every indication of being a vagrant of wild origin, which flew to Indiana under its own power. I was eager to see if the band results confirmed this. The Band On 7 June 2017, Joni James wrote to me that the band was imprinted with “SEMARNAT I 420901.” I had never seen a band like this, and I shared the information with Indiana bird expert Don Gorney. Don quickly wrote back that SEMARNAT stands for Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. This is Mexico’s environmental ministry, “charged with the mission of protecting, restoring, and conserving the ecosystems, natural resources, assets and environmental services of Mexico with the goal of fostering sustainable development” (Wikipedia 2017). I wrote to The North American Bird Banding Lab (BBL) for help, thinking they might assist me in Figure 4. Wing of contacting the appropriate person in SEMARNAT who takes the information Painted Bunting from band recoveries and distributes it to the bander. In other words, I specimen showing no assumed the Mexican bird banding system worked in a similar way to our abnormal wear or well-organized BBL. I was very disappointed when I received a response from breakage. Photo by Joni the BBL that they could not help me and did not know who I could contact in James and Tim Bailey.
Mexico to report a band (pers. comm. BBL 2017). Next, I searched online and found someone listed on the BBL website as a contact for bird banders interested in doing projects in Fall 2017, page 15
Mexico. I emailed him, asking if he could help me report a band recovery. For good measure, I looked on the SEMARNAT website and emailed a few people their site identified as scientists within the ministry. To my dismay, I received no response to any of those emails. Before giving up, I found a blog written in English by Mexican birder Manuel Grosselet. His blog discusses bird conservation and birding in Mexico (Grosselet 2017). It was a long shot, but I emailed him asking for help. I also emailed a few Indiana bird banders to see if they had any experience reporting Mexican bird bands. Amy Wilms replied, saying she had a contact in Mexico, and that he had already posted the Painted Bunting band on his Facebook page! Her contact was Manuel Grosselet, the birder with the blog whom I had emailed earlier that day. He had posted the band on Facebook asking any banders if it was their band. Grosselet later informed me through email that Mexico doesn’t have a centralized reporting agency for bird bands, where band Figure 5. Painted Bunting specimen recovery information can be shared with the bander and showing no abnormal fading of plumage, banding information with the finder. Instead, if you recover a missing crown feathers, or bill injuries. band you are on your own in tracking down the bander (pers. The band has been removed from the leg comm. Manuel Grosselet 2017). Grosselet did eventually track and placed next to the specimen. Photo down the bander of the Painted Bunting, but he said it was very by Joni James and Tim Bailey. time consuming to do, which is why he did not get the information back to me until September.
In the United States, most songbirds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is illegal for anyone in the U.S. to keep a Painted Bunting as a pet (unless they have a valid permit, which is difficult to obtain) (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2015). In Mexico, the situation is different. Although Mexico is a signee of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, permits are given to private individuals allowing them to trap wild birds for subsistence use (Roldan-Clara et al 2017). These permitted individuals may use a designated number of wild birds for consumption or sale, but each bird must be marked with a bird band issued by SEMARNAT (Roldan-Clara et al 2017). According to Grosselet’s results, the Howard County Painted Bunting wore such a band. Grosselet discovered that the band was issued to an individual in the Mexican state of Nayarit on 8 August 2016 (pers. comm. Manuel Grosselet 2017). The band was authorized for a Blue-black Grassquit, which isn’t as showy of a bird as a male Painted Bunting. Since the two species do Figure 6. The metal band removed from the leg of the Painted Bunting not look similar, it is likely that a Painted Bunting was banded specimen, reading “SEMARNAT I with a band issued for another species because a Painted 420901.” Photo by Joni James and Tim Bunting would sell for more money than a Blue-black Grassquit Bailey. would. Grosselet shared James and Bailey’s photo documentation of this bird with SEMARNAT employees, in case the Mexican government wants to take action against the bird seller for misusing his permit.
Fall 2017, page 16
Conclusion It is impossible to know what happened to the Howard County Painted Bunting in the period of time after it was captured from the wild in Nayarit, Mexico, and banded by an individual with the intent to sell it as a cage bird. Presumably, it was smuggled into the U.S. and at some point either escaped or was intentionally released back into the wild, eventually ending up dead beneath power lines in Howard County, Indiana. The bird’s appearance was that of a wild vagrant that had traveled to Indiana under its own power. It was found during the time of year and in a location that suggested it was not transported by man. Even the apparent cause of death (by collision with powerlines) seemed to indicate a wild vagrant bird. Were it not for the information recovered from the band on its leg, this bird may have been accepted as Indiana’s fourth record Painted Bunting.
Acknowledgments I appreciate Manuel Grosselet’s efforts to track down band information and share it with me. Thank you to Joni James and Tim Bailey for providing information and photographs of the specimen. Kudos to Josh Douglass for finding, photographing, and making a special trip back to collect the specimen. Thanks also to Don Gorney for editing an earlier version of this article. References
Brock, K. 2006. Brock’s Birds of Indiana. Amos W. Butler Audubon Society, Indianapolis, IN. eBird. 2017. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Ithaca, New York. Accessed 12 Sept. 2017. http://www.eBird.org
Mlodinow, S. G., and R.A. Hamilton. “Vagrancy of Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda.” North American Birds Vol. 59 (2005):172-183. Accessed 12 Sept. 2017. http://hamiltonbiological.com/publications/Mlodinow_Hamilton_2005_Painted%20Bunting%20Vagrancy_NAB.pdf
United States Fish & Wildlife Service. “Threats to Birds”. Last edit 25 May 2016. Accessed 22 Sept. 2017. https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds.php
United States Census Bureau. “QuickFacts: Howard County, Indiana.” 1 July 2016. Accessed 12 Sept. 2017. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/howardcountyindiana/PST045216
Wikipedia. “Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Mexico).” Last edit 4 Sept. 2016. Accessed 12 Sept. 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_of_Environment_and_Natural_Resources_(Mexico)
The North American Bird Banding Lab (BBL). 2017. Personal communication by email. June 2017.
Grosselet, M. “Anillamiento de Aves Mexico / Bird Banding in Mexico.” Last edit 13 Jan. 2017. Accessed 12 June 2017. http://anillamientodeavesmexico.blogspot.mx/
Grosselet, M. 2017. Personal communication by email. June and September 2017.
United States Fish & Wildlife Service. “Migratory Bird Treaty Act”. Last edit 16 Sept. 2015. Accessed 12 Sept. 2017. https://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/laws-legislations/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php
Roldan-Clara, B., X. Lopez-Medellin, C. Leyva, N. Calderon de la Barca, and I. Espejel. “Mexican Birds Use According to Environmental Officers.” Ethnobiology and Conservation 2017, 6:13 (14 Aug. 2017). Accessed 12 Sept. 2017. http://ethnobioconservation.com/index.php/ebc/article/viewFile/94/143
Fall 2017, page 17
The 2017 Indiana Audubon Society Big May Day Count
Matt Kalwasinski, Munster, IN [email protected]
Amy Wilms, Connersville, IN [email protected]
The Big May Day Bird Count (BMDBC) was conducted state-wide on Saturday, May 13th, 2017. The objective of the BMDBC is to count the number of birds of each species that occurs in a participating county from midnight to midnight on the second Saturday in May. The data collected provides a valuable scientific record of the resident and migratory bird populations occurring each year in Indiana. Weather conditions were much better than they were in 2016 with the average high temperature of 74.8 F (versus only 51.9 F last year) and average low of 48.4 F across the state. Participating counties reported very minimal cloud cover, little wind, and only a few counties reported trace amounts of precipitation.
Gibson, Green, Lake, Porter, and Vigo each reported 150+ individual species seen with Porter County taking top honors this year with 165 species.
Forty Nine of the 92 Indiana counties (53%) participated in this year’s count (See Indiana Map below.) This is slightly down from last year, but still above the average of 40.5 from 1991 through 2017. I would personally like to applaud everyone’s dedication to this event, be it your first year or your fortieth. (See the “Years of Participation” as well as “Participation List” for this year.)
This year, 233 bird species totaling 120,301individuals were recorded, which is below the average of 238 and 147,433 between 1991 and 2017. Thirteen species only had 1 individual reported, which included Trumpeter Swan (Lake), American Wigeon (Tippecanoe), Northern Pintail (Greene), Snowy Egret (Lake), Little Blue Heron (Wells), Merlin (Greene), Stilt Sandpiper (Porter), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Noble), Winter Wren (Porter), Golden-crowned Kinglet (Porter), Connecticut Warbler (Greene), Western Meadowlark (Newton), and Yellow-headed Blackbird (Lake).
Once again, Red-winged Blackbirds were the most numerous species found with 11,666 reported, followed by American Robin, European Starling, Canada Goose, and Blue Jay. Top honors for the most numerous Neotropical migrant was Barn Swallow (2,048) with Common Yellowthroat (2,035) close behind. (See tables below.)
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Most Numerous Resident Bird Counts 2007-2017 (2014 NOT included) Species 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2015 2016 2017 Average Red-winged Blackbird 12241 10583 12743 10232 9947 10010 9555 10786 10326 11666 10,809 American Robin 8532 8085 9990 11545 8987 9554 7765 7948 8524 7121 8,805 European Starling 9262 8517 10026 11594 8327 7198 7163 6950 9135 6724 8,490 Canada Goose 6747 6719 6896 6694 5413 7391 5613 6240 8501 6240 6,645 Common Grackle 7319 5938 5905 5894 5203 4871 3984 4066 4876 3612 5,167 House Sparrow 3393 3386 3560 3281 3435 3935 3232 3888 3252 3679 3,504 Northern Cardinal 3684 3595 3351 2914 3360 3312 3129 3386 2937 3460 3,313 Ring-billed Gull 3355 2534 3568 4941 2779 1823 2518 1980 4252 1570 2,932 Mourning Dove 3193 2915 2878 2459 2803 3181 2863 2309 2242 2193 2,704 American Goldfinch 3170 2946 3054 2441 2479 2398 2564 2165 1955 1963 2,514 Brown-headed Cowbird 2617 2449 2976 2421 2157 2384 2342 1936 1966 1974 2,322 Mallard 1997 2050 1817 2098 1830 1858 1724 1723 1900 1547 1,854 American Crow 1418 1472 1787 1806 1710 1701 1617 1694 2044 1599 1,685 Song Sparrow 1819 1864 1619 1340 1599 1872 1594 1439 1443 1986 1,658 Rock Pigeon 1092 1302 1278 1425 1006 825 1241 1246 1341 799 1,156
Most Numerous Neotropical Migrant Bird Counts 2007-2017 (2014 NOT included) Species 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2015 2016 2017 Average Barn Swallow 2178 2087 3098 4854 3102 2400 3852 1915 5382 2048 3,092 Tree Swallow 2475 2421 3777 4294 2330 1883 4426 1925 4462 1926 2,992 Indigo Bunting 2234 2009 2295 1420 2358 2751 1573 1829 1439 1980 1,989 Gray Catbird 2009 2186 1994 1342 1725 1903 1687 1877 1585 1992 1,830 Common Yellowthroat 1485 1834 1659 1210 1749 2396 1765 1615 1364 2035 1,711 Chipping Sparrow 1792 1991 1930 1493 1610 1777 1249 1484 1432 1297 1,606 Cliff Swallow 2001 1202 1721 1893 1097 2387 1615 788 1959 1305 1,597 Chimney Swift 1619 1746 2264 1301 1397 1771 1540 1170 575 1254 1,464 Yellow Warbler 1375 1811 1480 1113 1426 1576 1439 1567 1038 1795 1,462 Baltimore Oriole 1424 1369 1508 1031 1286 1309 1212 1530 1258 1695 1,362 Purple Martin 1028 1537 1508 907 1738 1550 984 983 1051 845 1,213 Northern Rough-winged Sw. 877 992 1974 1878 858 633 1644 634 1504 730 1,172 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 653 863 1277 782 976 961 1022 1134 973 1255 990 House Wren 1052 1302 1225 789 747 900 714 781 654 1268 943 Bank Swallow 582 745 881 1847 505 709 832 388 1504 407 840
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Thank you to all the compilers and observers for their participation, and on behalf of the Indiana Audubon Society, we look forward to your continued participation next year on Saturday, May 12, 2018.
Years of Participation - After the 2017 May Count *If you see an error or an omission, please contact me at [email protected]
40 years or more 30 years or more 20 years or more 10 years or more Chuck Mills Dick Davis Joan Tweedell Shannon Lee Vic Riemenschneider Larry Parker Susan Bagby Linda Leliaert Marge Riemenschneider Joe Long Mike Donnelly Jan McGowan Mary Beth Gene Coleman Kathy Long Eberwein Steve Lima Dick Fessenden Joy Bower Carole Riewe Lynda McGinnis Louise Fessenden Kevin Carlson Jo Borror Michael R. Brown John Bentley Larry Beiberich Bob Brodman Alice Bentley John Cassady Denise Sobieski Cindy Conway Scottie Theiss Kim Harmon Gordon Hug Carol Hyatt Dakin Polan Bill Poindexter Carolyn Marsh Stuart Jenkins Jim Simon Larry Lock Margaret Tamar Pat Lock Christine Salberg Rosemary Toepp Jim Sweeney Mary Ann Jenkins Wendy Cassady Kathy Fuller Michael Topp Laura Fuderer Nancy Reiter Ed Powers Dan Collins Bob Leliaert Phil Snider Dennis Richardson Jenny Snider Dave Reichlinger Brian Taylor Barb Dodge Ken Tweedell Dick Bonness Kathy Strecker
Fall 2017, page 20
2017 Participant List 1. Adams, Complier: Terri Gorney Observers: Terri Gorney, David Reichlinger, Bill Hubbard, Sherry Hubbard, Randy Lehman, Larry Parker, Janet Parker, 2. Allen, Complier: Ed Powers Observers: Ed Powers, Cynthia Powers, David Ward, Mark Derloshon, Rodger Rang, Sandy Schacht, Valerie Pelz, Galen Yordy, Stephanie Wagner, Sue Zwierko, Phil Wixom, Gaeme Wright, Rubin Stark, Jim Seely 3. Benton, Complier & Observer: Carl Vogelwede 4. Boone, Compiler & Observer: Dwight Moser 5. Brown, Compiler: Marcia Walker Observers: Jennifer Schall, Marcia Walker 6. Clark, Compiler: Stuart Jenkins Observers: Stuart Jenkins, Larry Lock, Pat Lock, Del Streigle, Kathy Strecker, 7. Crawford, Compiler: Stuart Tower Observer: Stuart Tower 8. Dearborn, Compiler: Bob Decker Observers: Bob Decker 9. Elkhart, Complier: Linsday Grossman Observers: Trice Berkely, John Davis, Rose Marie Tinder- O’Brien, Mary Kauffmann-Kennel, LouAnne Hostetler, Lindsay Grossmann, Robert Guth, Annie Aquirre, Ronda DeCaire, Marilyn Horvath, Carolyn Farrow, Russ Kremer, Joyce Weler, Leland Shaum, Carole Mitchel, Judy Ferrell, Elma Chapman,Kristen Sweinhart, Tanner Troyer, Brenda Tudor, Sylvia Steed, Michale Steed, 10. Fayette, Compiler: Carl Wilms Observers: Carl Wilms, Michael Hall, Amy Wilms, Alexandar Sharp, Sheri McCollough, Austin Boardwater 11. Floyd, Compiler: Joseph Caruso Observers: Joseph Caruso, Deborah Caruso 12. Gibson, Compiler: Charles Mills Observers: Dan Collins, Ben Fritz, Charles Mills, Chris Newman, Richard Vernier, Sue Vernier, Vicky Whitaker, Health Harlan, Logon Harlan, Gary Bowman, Lisa Bowman, Julie Farme, Liz Haig, Beth Hanson 13. Grant, Compiler: Kim Roll Observers: Kim Roll, Meg Roll, Shellie Goodlander 14. Greene, Complier: Jess Gwinn Observers: Ray Brumfiel, Jess Gwinn, Maureen Forrest, Donald Hall, Anne Roberts, Joan ten Hoor, Jim Brown, Lee Sterrenburg, Jerry Downs, Jim Hengeveld, Susan Hengeveld, Jeff Regiel, Sandy Belth, Jeff Belth, marsue Jackson, Heidi Ellis, Ann Maxwell 15. Hamilton, Compiler: Amanda Smith Observers: Kathryn Mascaro, Bruce Blackwell, Linda Downer, Kevin Cornell, Kevin Wycoff, Christy Brocken, Alee, Keith Starling, Marty Williams, Leslie Warner, Plooy Nicely, Lyn Berling, Gordon Chastin, Jeff Canada, June DeLong, Terry Ballenger, Becky Heck, Jay Park, Norm Eden, Richard Wiesler, Becky Summer 16. Hancock, Compiler: Gail McNierney Observers: Ben Hess, Gail McNierney 17. Harrison Compiler: Stuart Tower Observer: Stuart Tower 18. Howard, Complier: Samuel Morrow Observers: Samuel Morrow 19. Hunnington Complier: Angie Quinn Observers: Angie Quinn, Steve Nagy 20. Jackson, Compiler: Donna Stanley Observers: David Crouch, Darlena Graham, Gary Dorman, Becky Dorman, Gary Dorman Sr., Nancy Dorman 21. Jasper, Compiler: Tim Rice Observers: Tim Rice, Bob Brodman, Amber Maclnnis
Fall 2017, page 21
22. Jefferson, Compiler: Bill Poindexter Observers: Bill Poindexter, Dick Davis, Kevin Carlson, Andy Simpson, Kalya Simpson, Matt Demaree, Terry Bunton, Velma Simpson, Kim Kirschner 23. Johnson: Compiler: Tom Hougham Observers: Ann Deutch, Tom Hougham, Bob Carper, Tammy Carper, Paula Baldwin, Kim Charles, Karl Werner, Balir Beavers, Jay Bolden, Alley Muir, Chuck Lunsford, Karen Lunsford, Barbara Otte, Mike Clay, Kim Higdon 24. Kusciusco, Compiler: Gregory Clark Observers: Connie Doud, Steve Doud, Dave Hicks, Deb Hustin, Lila O’Cnnell, James Townsend, Jerry Sweeten, Suzanne Beyeler, Jason Martin, Steve Hammer, Andy Rich, Gregory Clark, Steve Naragon, Casey Jones, Jennifer Jones, Al Crist 25. Lake, Compiler: Lynda McGinnis Observers: Joy Bower, DeNay Cortez, Jose Cortez, Sarah de la Rue, Loyce Fandrei, Jolene Hanchar, Kim Harmon, David Homrich, Kathy Homrich, Carolyn Marsh, Gayle McBride, Lynda McGinnis, Christine Salberg, Jim Sweeney, Michael Topp, Rick Welton, Dave Koester, David Dornberg, Fran Bascom, Tim Sweeney, Alice Korblum, Christine Weatherby, Destinee Wolfe, Andy Bencur, Joann Palko 26. LaPorte, Compiler: Denise Holmes Observers: Jim Jessup, Susan Bagby, Nancy Reiter, Denise Holmes, Pennie Lombard, Lloyd Lombard, Jim Simon, Margaret Carson, Elizabeth McCloskey, Dennis Richardson, Frances Sipocz-Richardson, John Brugos, Jo Brugos, Cleo Juhasz, Leslie Mitchell, John Mitchell, Joan Wisniewski, Joe Wisniewski 27. Lawrence, Compiler: Amy Kearns Observers: Amy Kearns, Howard Detweiler, Gary Langell, Cathy Meyer, Bob Ball 28. Madison, Compiler: Jeff Timmons Observers: Jeff Timmons 29. Marion, Compiler: Don Gorney Observers: Mark Rhodes, Don Gorney 30. Marshall, Compiler: Lynn Vernon Observers: Lynn Vernon, Neal Miller, Jeremy Miller 31. Martin, Compiler: Grant Burcham Obervers: Grant Burcham, Alisha Burcham 32. Mongtgomery, Compiler: Alice Bruner Observer: Alan Bruner, Rusty McIntyre, Kyle Rush, Clint Murry 33. Morgan, Compiler: Joni James Observers: Joni James, Tim Bailey, Doug Johns, Pat Clark 34. Newton, Compiler: Ed Hopkins Observers: Ed Hopkins 35. Noble, Compiler: John Winebrenner Observers: John Winebrenner, Lisa Silvey, Will Searer, Mary Helfrich, Eric Helfrich, Rod Strayer, Susan Beck, Larry Biebrich, Ron Korte, Joyce Gottschalk, Niel Case, Laura Case, Judy Strayer, Codispoti, Sue Skekloff, Sam Plew, Tiffany Crawford 36. Orange, Compilers and Observers: John Lindsey 37. Perry, Compiler: Harriet Neill Observers: Harriet Neill, Damin 38. Porter, Compiler: Randy Pals Observers: Patrick Krueger, Jeff McCoy, Kristin Stratton, Penny Starin, John Kendall, Susan Cohen, Dan Czilli, Matt Beatty, Madison Beatty, Maricela Aviles, Lynea Hinchman, Kathie Fritz, Jack Swelstad, Matt Kalwasinski, Brendan Grube, Pete Grube, Kristin Grube, Ken Brock, Dick Knutson, Cathy Anderson, Perry Cozza, Tim Cole, Nicole Haller Braner, Saj Braner, Bettie Haller, Bruce Haller, Robert Hatfield, Billy Sherrell, Bernie Konrady. 39. Randolph, Compiler: Connie Howell Observers: Connie Howell, Tom Howell, Nina Howell, Malinda Howell, Ben Shreves, Daniel McCord, Lora McCord Fall 2017, page 22
40. St. Joseph, Compiler: Louise Fessenden Observers: Bob Leliaert, Linda Leliaert, John Bentley, Alice Bentley, John Cassady, John Kaehr, Scott Namestnik, Jo Borror, Vic Riemenschneider, Marge Riemenschneider, Carol Goodall, Richard Fessenden, Louise Fessenden, Robert Fessenden, Gordon Hug, Ken Tweedell, Jim Spier, Laura Fuderer, Michaele Klingerman, Cindy Conway, Michael Donnelly, George Bernard, Jennifer Betz, Heidi Gray, Melissa Paar, Tai Gunter, Martha Kummerer, Kathy Maloney, Nancy Shephard, Kay Eason, Steve Sass, Jude Keltner, Dale Keltner, June Kohler, Dan Brazo, Kristen Sweinhart, Phil Sloan, Heather Downey 41. Spencer, Compiler: David Ayer Observers: David Ayer, John Meredig 42. Starke, Compiler: Kim Ehn Observers: Kim Ehn 43. Tippecanoe, Compiler: Barny Dunning Observers: Delano Arvin, Kevin Arvin, Joyce Brattian, Michael Brattian, Barny Dunning, John Skene, Becky Theller, Larry Theller, Marjorie Arvin, Kimberly Cheesman, Jean Herr, Amy Wetzel, Wes Homoya, George Kopka, Patrick Ruhl 44. Vanderburgh, Compiler: Stephen Heeger Observers: Sharon Giles, James Lodato, Vivian Ruff, Allan Langen, Chris Langen, Ron Giles, Carolyn Barron, Steve Heeger, Lisa Hoffman, Marilyn Swonder, Lois Schmidt, D. Litov, T. Hall, W. Hall, G. Hartman,. S. Moore, T.Breidenbach, J. Giles, E. Giles, L. Giles, S. Karger, C. Pettys, D. Datema, D. Cissna 45. Vigo, Compiler: Peter E. Scott Observers: George Bakken, Laura Bakken, Dick Bonness, Nicholas Brown, Jane Chestnut, Mary Beth Eberwien, Marty Jones, Carissa Lovett, Ellen Lunsford, Bill Mitchell, Denise Sobieski, Ben Cvengos, Steve Lima, Margaret Moga, Dylan Nesty, Ann Black, Bruce Black, Kristal Burdick, Joe Dickson, Richard Burden, Joy Sacopulos, Jim Sullivan, Margaret Tamar, Paul Wassel, Dan Weber 46. Warren, Compiler: Susan H. Ulrich Observers: Susan Ulrich, Joanna Billiard, Ellen Tobias, Louise Decker, Shelly Foran, Brain Behelelr, Amanda Beheler, Ohoebe Beheler, Liam Beheler, Callum Beheler 47. Warrick, Compiler: Jim Campell Observers: Jim Campbell, Mary Jo Campbell 48. Wayne, Compiler: Jim Seaney Observers: Jim Seaney, Ron Williams, Rose Marie Othmer 49. Wells, Compiler: Kathy Fuller Observers: Kathy Fuller, Carolyn Graham, Norma Lavanchy, Pam Olsen, Bob Spicer, Jerry Moser, Rose Moser, Pay Dyson, Jim Miller, Hayden Hammond, Scott Hammond, Rita Knowles, Tom Walker, Molly Walker, Esther Frauhiger, Tina Morris, Jody Heaston
Fall 2017, page 23
2017 INDIANA COUNTY PARTICIPATION MAP – 49 OUT OF 92 COUNTIES Yellow = a participating county
Fall 2017, page 24
IAS BMDBC Annual Data
Year 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
May Count Date 11 9 8 14 13 11 10 9 8 13
Total Counties 39 41 42 43 42 39 45 47 44 45
Total Species Observed 229 229 228 224 228 246 249 242 248 243
Total Birds Counted 149,990 169,504 154,130 154,343 158,533 166,232 191,971 178,202 167,902 160,214
Total Observers 537 576 554 533 537 630 637 656 585 577
Total Observer Hours 1,968 2,157 1,957 2,110 1,842 1,759 2,432 2,245 1,804 1,828
Birds Per Observer 279 294 278 290 295 264 301 272 287 278
Birds Per Observer Hour 76 79 79 73 86 95 79 79 93 88
Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
May Count Date 12 11 10 8 14 13 12 10 9 8
Total Counties 47 41 42 40 40 39 36 36 42 34
Total Species Observed 234 241 240 238 236 241 239 243 251 233
Total Birds Counted 164,728 140,532 153,567 162,991 141,504 148,920 131,598 129,535 141,604 128,137
Total Observers 553 499 480 506 498 476 446 488 487 487
Total Observer Hours 1,817 1,390 1,516 1,904 1,808 1,637 1,761 1,676 1,701 1,745
Birds Per Observer 298 282 320 322 284 313 295 265 291 263
Birds Per Observer Hour 91 101 101 86 78 91 75 77 83 73
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
May Count Date 14 12 11 N/A 9 14 13
Total Counties 29 35 31 N/A 32 53 49
Total Species Observed 237 236 238 N/A 244 241 233
Total Birds Counted 119,710 132,737 120,694 N/A 116,729 128958 120301
Total Observers 461 476 414 N/A 376 403 365
Total Observer Hours 1,563 1,670 1,490 N/A 1449.00 1462.41 1445.57
Birds Per Observer 260 279 292 N/A 310.45 320.00 329.59
Birds Per Observer Hour 77 79 81 N/A 80.56 88.18 83.22
mean high low
May Count Date 11 14 8 Total Counties (92 possible) 40.5 53 29
Total Species Observed 238.154 251 224
Total Birds Counted 147,433 191971 119710
Total Observers 509.115 656 414
Total Observer Hours 1,774 2432 1390
Birds Per Observer 290.848 322 260
Birds Per Observer Hour 83.537 101 73 Fall 2017, page 25
Mississippi Kite Mississippi Osprey Turkey Vulture VultureBlack Ibis Plegadis Night-Heron Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Black-crowned Heron Green Egret Cattle Heron Blue Little Snowy Egret Great Egret Heron Great Blue Bittern Least Bittern American Pelican Brown Am. White Pelican Cormorant Double-crested Grebe Eared Grebe Horned Grebe Pied-billed Loon Common Loon Red-throated Turkey Wild Grouse Ruffed Pheasant Ring-necked Bobwhite Northern Ruddy Duck Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Common Merganser Hooded Goldeneye Common Bufflehead Duck Long-tailed Scoter Black Scoter White-winged Surf Scoter Scaup Lesser Greater Scaup Duck Ring-necked Redhead Canvasback Teal Green-winged Pintail Northern Shoveler Northern Teal Blue-winged Mallard Duck Black American Wigeon American Gadwall Duck Wood Swan Tundra Swan Trumpeter Mute Swan Goose Canada Goose Cackling Goose Snow Goose Greater White-fronted Species 2017 2017 Indiana Society Audubon Big MayData -Count Day TOTALS
Number 1964 1547 6240 124 147 306 781 101 542 324 192 869 153 47 22 11 15 47 37 28 43 47 14 11 44 51 5 0 0 1 1 6 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 4 7 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 1 0 1 8 0 1 0 0 2 Herring Gull Herring Gull Ring-billed Gull Franklin's Laughing Gull Gull Bonaparte's Phalarope Red-Necked Phalarope WIlson's Woodcock American Snipe Wilson's Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Short-billed Sandpiper Buff-breasted Stilt Sandpiper Dunlin Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Semipalmated Sanderling Ruddy Turnstone Whimbrel Sandpiper Upland Yellowlegs Lesser Willet Greater Yellowlegs Solitary Sandpiper Sandpiper Spotted AvocetAmerican Stilt Black-necked Killdeer Plover Piping Plover Semipalmated Golden-Plover American Plover Black-bellied Crane Sandhill Coot American Moorhen Common Galinule Purple Sora Rail Virginia Rail King Rail Black Rail Yellow Falcon Peregrine Merlin Kestrel American Eagle Golden Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Cooper's Hawk Sharp-shinned Harrier Northern Eagle Bald Species Number 1570 183 986 156 116 118 340 134 111 38 61 41 35 72 94 51 10 69 25 51 16 68 20 15 51 15 16 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 8 8 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 4 0 0 7 1 0 0 Horned Lark Horned Crow Fish Crow American Jay Blue Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Warbling Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Bell's White-eyed Vireo Shrike Loggerhead Kingbird Eastern Kingbird Western Flycatcher Great Crested Phoebe Eastern Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Willow Alder Flycatcher FlycatcherAcadian flycatcher Yellow-bellied Wood-Pewee Eastern Flycatcher Olive-sided Woodpecker Pileated Flicker Northern Hairy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Sapsucker Yellow-bellied Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-headed Kingfisher Belted Hummingbird Ruby-throated Swift Chimney E. Whip-poor-will Widow Chuck-will's Nighthawk Common Owl No. Saw-Whet Owl Short Eared Owl Eared Long Owl Barred Snowy Owl Owl Great Horned Screech-Owl Eastern Owl Barn Cuckoo Black-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Monk Parakeet Dove Mourning Dove Collared Eurasian Pigeon Rock Tern Forster's Tern Common Tern Black Tern Caspian Tern Least Gull Great Black-backed Gull Glaucous Gull Black-backed Lesser Species Number 1599 3687 1075 1254 2193 347 765 799 252 137 279 895 639 527 147 138 206 437 284 349 187 648 335 212 799 148 10 16 54 22 89 75 11 61 92 38 24 10 30 41 29 16 0 0 3 5 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 8 2 0 0 0 Prothonotary Prothonotary Warbler Redstart American Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Cerulean Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Palm Warbler Prairie Warbler Kirtland's Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Green Black-throated Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Blue Black-throated MayCape Warbler Warbler Magnolia Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Yellow Parula Northern Warbler Nashville Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Tennessee Warbler Golden-winged Warbler Blue-winged Waxwing Cedar Pipit American Starling European Thrasher Brown Mockingbird Northern Gray Catbird Robin American Thrush Wood Thrush Hermit Thrush Swainson's Thrush Gray-cheeked Veery Bluebird Eastern Gnatcatcher Blue-gray Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Wren Marsh Wren Sedge Winter Wren Wren House Wren Carolina Creeper Brown Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Tufted Titmouse Chickadee Black-capped Chickadee Carolina Swallow Barn Cliff Swallow Swallow Bank Swallow Rough-winged Northern Tree Swallow Martin Purple Species Number 1795 6724 1992 7121 1255 1268 1078 2048 1305 1926 171 501 165 241 163 155 201 469 150 152 409 320 693 794 420 291 607 522 761 576 727 337 637 407 730 845 99 42 59 31 70 18 16 12 72 10 12 74 97 65 99 22 17 30 0 9 1 1 House Sparrow House Grosbeak Evening Goldfinch American Siskin Pine Finch House Finch Purple Oriole Baltimore Oriole Orchard Cowbird Brown-headed Grackle Common Blackbird Brewer's Rusty Blackbird Meadowlark Western Meadowlark Eastern Blackbird Yellow-headed Blackbird Red-winged Bobolink Dickcissel Bunting Indigo Grosbeak Blue Grosbeak Rose-breasted Cardinal Northern Tanager Scarlet Tanager Summer Junco Dark-eyed Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Harris' Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Song Fox Sparrow Sparrow Nelson's Sparrow Henslow's Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Lark Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Field Sparrow Clay-colored Chipping Sparrow Tree Sparrow American Towhee Eastern Chat Yellow-breasted Warbler Canada Warbler Wilson's Warbler Hooded Yellowthroat Common Warbler Mourning Warbler Connecticut Kentucky Warbler Waterthrush Louisiana Waterthrush Northern Ovenbird Warbler Swainson's Warbler Worm-eating Total Individual Birds Total Species Species
Fall 2017, page 26 120,301 Number 233 11666 3679 1963 1695 1974 3612 1980 3460 1986 1297 2035 668 244 698 306 698 893 389 217 877 269 113 117 260 887 836 300 190 115 133 181 23 43 76 29 78 16 34 12 38 80 35
0 7 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 8 9 7 1 0
Bald Eagle by Bob Brodman – Jasper Northern Bobwhite by Ben Cvengos – Vigo County County
Indigo Bunting by Dwight Moser – Boone King Rail by Dan Kaiser – Jackson County County
King Rail by Scott Namestnik – St. Joseph County Magnolia Warbler by Dwight Moser – Boone County
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Black Vulture by Bob Carper – Johnson Gray-cheeked Thrush by Tim Rice – Jasper County County
American White Pelicans by Bob Brodman – Jasper County Red-breasted Nuthatch by Bob Carper – Johnson County
Sandhill Crane by Matt Kalwasinski – Porter Black-necked Stilts by Steve Lima – Vigo County County
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The Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) in Indiana
Benjamin E. Leese, Mechanicsburg, PA [email protected]
Abstract: Along with other states in the Ohio River valley, there is relatively little evidence of the past occurrence of the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) in Indiana. There are imprecise references in the work of Audubon and Baird, and more specific references from Jennings, Franklin, Monroe, Posey, and Martin counties. This article reports evidence that merits considering the species on the official checklist of birds for the state, albeit as an extirpated one.
Introduction: A variety of early comments and records suggest the past occurrence of the ivorybill in Indiana. However, the state of the evidence leaves the issue incompletely resolved, and the species does not appear on the official state checklist (Indiana Bird Records Committee 2013), although the similarly extinct carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis) and passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) are present on that list. Records of historical occurrences of non-game bird species are not always easy to recover (see Leese 2006b for a full description of the various weights of evidence). In the case of Indiana, only records in neighboring states (Leese 2011, 2006a, b), vague state-wide references, and sight references (which lack the documentation necessary for modern sight record) exist for the ivory- bill. It is likely that archaeological evidence of the species’ occurrence exists for the state (as in the case of neighboring Ohio), but it has not yet come to light. There is evidence to support the past occurrence of the ivory-bill in Jennings, Franklin, Monroe, Posey, and Martin counties.
Vague state-wide references: Audubon (1842) and Baird et al. (1874) make enigmatic reference to the ivory-bill nesting in Indiana. Audubon (1842) writes, “In Kentucky and Indiana the Ivory bills seldom raise more than one brood in the season.” Audubon lived much of his life in Henderson, Kentucky on the Ohio River, and so he might have had some first hand knowledge of the ivory-bill in Indiana. Baird’s reference is likely based on Audubon’s observance, and so should not be admitted as independent evidence. In his review of the faunal changes in Indiana, A. W. Butler also notes the ivory-bill as a past resident of the state (1895:35) Besides these, more rarely, Swallow-tailed Kites (Elanoides forficatus L.) and Ivory-billed Woodpeckers (Campephilus principalis L.) added their characteristic forms to the wild scenery. Like the previous reference, this reference without specific geography cannot be admitted as strong evidence, especially because it relies upon Butler’s other published comments on the ivory-bill in Indiana (see below). There is also an entirely unsatisfying reference to Wilson having observed the species in the northernmost part of its range, possibly in Indiana. Butler (1897) writes: Undoubtedly, too, Wilson gained his knowledge from his trip down the Ohio River in 1810, to write the beautiful tribute to it, beginning, “Majestic bird the broad Ohio knows its presence well.”
Although Wilson did travel down the Ohio that year, there does not appear to be other documentation of this quote that Butler attributes to Wilson. And Wilson’s account of the species in American Ornithology (1828) doubts that the species could be found north of Virginia (but see Wilson in Hunter 1983:219-20). As a group, none of these vague references are substantial enough to admit the species to the state list.
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Franklin and Monroe Counties: The fullest report of the species’ status in these Indiana counties comes from Butler (1892): Dr. Haymond notes it as a former resident of Franklin County, but says "none have been seen for many years." …He informed me they formerly were found in the swampy woodland in the eastern part of the county about what were called the ‘Beaver Ponds.’ Prof. Evermann informs me that they were formerly found in Monroe County, also having been identified many years ago by the late Louis Bollman. This record from Franklin County has a long history in the literature (Haymond 1869, Langdon 1879, Wheaton 1879, Butler 1885, Butler 1886, Hasbrouck 1891, Butler 1892, Dawson 1903, Jones 1903). Although vague by contemporary standards, it has the benefit of a number of observers with noted authority.
Posey and Martin Counties: Ridgway (1874), in a paper on the birds of Illinois, writes that the ivory- bill can be found on the “Ohio, lower Mississippi (?) [sic] and lower Wabash bottoms only.” Ridgway (1889) also notes: The writer has a distinct recollection of what he believes to have been this species in White county, some forty miles south of Mount Carmel, but never observed it in the vicinity of the latter place. White County, Illinois is separated from Posey County, Indiana by the Wabash River, so the species could very well have been present on both sides of the river. However, Ridgway’s authority on this issue is generally not accepted (Jackson 2006).
Another interesting reference comes from the work of Prince Maximilian von Wied, a famous naturalist who briefly resided in New Harmony, Indiana in the early 1830s. In a paper published in his native Germany, he writes:
Ich will hier schliesslich noch bemerken, dass auch der grosse weissschnäblige Specht (Picus principalis) zuweilen in den südlichsten von uns berührten Gegenden vorkommt, bei Natchez soll er schon vorkommen, mehr aber am unteren Missisippi [sic] und in den südlichen Staaten.
The above translates to: I want to conclude by remarking that the big white-beaked woodpecker (Picus principalis) occasionally appears in the southernmost areas from us; already it has appeared near Natchez; however there are more at the lower Mississippi and in the southern states.
While it seems clear that von Wied did not observe the bird himself, his writing indicates his confidence that it occurred in Natchez. The difficulty comes in determining whether he was referring to Natchez, Mississippi or Natchez, Indiana. Von Wied never visited Natchez, Mississippi, although his colleague artist, Karl Bodmer, did venture as far south as New Orleans during zon Wied’s illness at New Harmony in 1832 and painted scenes in Natchez, Mississippi where he stayed for about eight days when returning from New Orleans (Bodmer 1984, plate 98). von Wied is either mentioning Natchez, Mississippi as the northernmost point on the Mississippi River at which he is aware of the ivory-bill’s occurrence, which seems remarkably far south compared to other observers such as Audubon (1842) who notes it as far north as the confluence of the Ohio and the Mississippi or he is mentioning a vagrant in Natchez, Indiana but indicating the south for the bulk of the species’ range. It is possible that von Wied is writing from his own observations, as he travelled overland across southern Indiana during the eastward part of his journey, a route that would have taken him near Natchez, Indiana or he may have made a trip there during his convalescence at New Harmony. The answer to which Natchez von Wied references is unclear from his notes, but it is an intriguing note from a prominent naturalist in either case.
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One should also note a reference to the ivory-bill from directly south of New Harmony, Posey County, but across the Ohio River into Kentucky. Charles J. O’Malley (1884) notes: The crimson-crested woodpecker (picus principalis) [sic] is there, too, nor is the glossy, black-coated woodcock wanting, although his species is rapidly passing away from our forests… The description of the two woodpecker species side by side, the other being the pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), makes it almost certain that O’Malley is recording an ivorybill. This reference just across the Ohio from Indiana, gives extra credence to the references from Indiana proper.
Jennings County: There is also a reference to the species from near Vernon in Jennings County, Indiana, southwest of Franklin County. This record was not noted until recently (Leese 2006). S. A. Ferrall (1832) writes that just before fording the Muscatatuck River: I was awoke [sic] at sunrise by a ‘white-billed woodpecker,’ which was making the woods ring by the rattling of its bill against a tree. This is a large handsome bird, (the picus principalis of Linnaeus), it is sometimes called here the wood- cock. The names “white-billed woodpecker” and “wood-cock” are well represented in other early records (Catesby 1754, Filson 1784, Wilson 1828), suggesting the validity of this record. This reference also adds credence to those from Franklin County. It is notable in that it is the only sight record of the species recovered for the state that gives some description of the encounter.
Conclusions: While still lacking archaeological evidence, Indiana has multiple references and records to the past occurrence of the ivory-billed woodpecker in the state. Ferrall’s observation is especially noteworthy in providing good evidence of its past occurrence. Good archaeological material from the Muskingum and Scioto Rivers of Ohio (Leese 2006) and sight reference from the Great Miami River in Ohio (Leese 2011) makes it extremely likely that the species once occurred in Indiana. This emerging evidence of the ivory-bill inhabiting the Ohio River in historic times supports the emerging hypotheses that the species was more mobile than is commonly accepted, could range widely to take advantage of a wide variety of food resources, and that hunting was the main contributing factor to its extinction (Snyder et al 2009, Snyder 2007). Based on the records assembled here, the Indiana Bird Records Committee may wish to reconsider the ivory-billed woodpecker’s status on the state list and include it as an extinct species, or at least as an extinct-hypothetical.
Acknowledgments: Michael W. Kern and Robert Myallis translated the von Wied quote from German. Bill Whan started me on this work of ivory-bills in the northernmost part of their range and has been a faithful correspondent on the topic for over a decade now. Both Bill Whan and Don Gorney reviewed previous versions of this paper.
About the author: Ben Leese is a 2003 graduate of Valparaiso University. He is currently pastor of a cooperative of Lutheran churches in York Springs, Pennsylvania. He also volunteers as a collections assistant at the Oakes Musuem of Natural History at Messiah College. This is his fifth article on the northern range of the ivory-billed woodpecker.
References Cited: Audubon, J.J. (1842) The Birds of America, Vol. 4, J. B. Chevalier, Philadelphia, PA. reprint 1967, Dover Publications, New York, 321 pp.
Baird, S.F., T.M. Brewer, and R. Ridgway (1874) A History of North American Birds: Land Birds, Volume II, Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, 590 pp.
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Bodmer, K. 1984. Karl Bodmer’s America. Joslyn Art Museum, ed. Introduction by W. H. Goetzmann. Joslyn Art Museum: University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln. 376 pp.
Butler, A. W. (1897) The birds of Indiana. A descriptive catalogue of the birds that have been observed within the state, with an account of their habits, In Indiana Department of Geology and Natural Resources, Twenty Second Annual Report, pages 516-1187. W. S. Blatchley, ed. Wm. B. Burford, Printer and Binder, Indianapolis. Online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/33352#/summary>.
Butler, A.W. (1895) President’s Address: Indiana: A Century of Changes in the Aspects of Nature. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, 5:31-42, online at
Butler, A.W. (1892) The Birds of Indiana with Illustrations of Many of the Species, Prepared for the Indiana Horticultural Society and Originally Published in its Transactions for 1890. Wm. B. Burford, Printer and Binder, Indianapolis. 134pp. Online at
Butler, A.W. (1886) A list of the birds observed in Franklin County, Ind. Bulletin of the Brookville Society of Natural History, 2: 12-39. Online at
Butler, A.W. (1885) Observations on faunal changes. Bulletin of the Brookville Society of Natural History, 1:5-12. On-line at < https://books.google.com/books?id=ccEYAAAAYAAJ>.
Catesby, M. (1754) The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands, Vol. I, C. Marsh, London. 100 pp plus 20 pp appendix. On-line at
Dawson, W.L. (1903) The Birds of Ohio; a Complete Scientific and Popular Description of the 320 Species of Birds Found in the State, Wheaton Publishing Co., Columbus, OH. 898 pp.
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Filson, J. (1784) The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucky. And an Essay Towards the Topography and Natural History of That Important Country (originally published 1784, Wilmington, Delaware), In Gilbert Imlay (1794) A Topographical Description of the Western Territory of North America: Containing a Succinct Account of Its Soil, Climate, Natural History, Population, Agriculture, Manners, and Customs. With an Ample Description of the Several Divisions into Which That Country is Partitioned. Printed for J. Debrett, Opposite Burlington House, London. pp. 269-415. Online at
Hasbrouck, E. M. (1891) The Present Status of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis). Auk, 8(2): 174-86. Haymond, R. (1869) Birds of Franklin County, Indiana. In Cox, E.T. First Annual
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Report of the Geological Survey of Indiana. pp. 209-35. Alexander H. Conner, State Printer, Indianapolis. On-line at < https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/3299 >.
Hunter, C. (1983) The Life and Letters of Alexander Wilson. American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, 456 pp. Indiana Bird Records Committee (2013) Official State Bird Checklist. Online at
Jackson, J. A. (2006) In Search of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Updated edition. HarperCollins, New York, 322 pp.
Jones, L.E. (1903) The Birds of Ohio; a Revised Catalogue. Academy of Science, Columbus, OH.
Langdon, F.W. (1879) A revised list of Cincinnati birds. Journal of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History 1:167-193.
Leese, B. E. (2011) Bird of Mystery, Bird of Legend: The Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Timeline: A Publication of the Ohio Historical Society 28 (3): 20-27. Leese, B. E. (2006a) An 18th-century reference to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) in Kentucky. Kentucky Warbler 82(1):37-40. Leese, B. E. (2006b) Historical status of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis in Ohio. Ohio Cardinal 29(4):181-188. Available online at < http://ohiobirds.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/11/V29.4.OhioCardinal_Summer2006.pdf>.
O’Malley, C. J. (1884) Summer in Kentucky – III – In the Steps of Audubon. The Current II (37): 135- 36.
Ridgway, R. (1889) The Ornithology of Illinois: Descriptive Catalog. State Lab. Nat. Hist., vol. 1:1- 520.
Ridgway, R. (1874) Catalogue of the Birds ascertained to occur in Illinois. Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York 10: 364-94 Snyder, N. F. R., Brown, D. E. & Clark, K. B. (2009) The Travails of Two Woodpeckers: Ivory- bills and Imperials. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 184 pp.
Snyder, N. F. R. (2007) An Alternative Hypothesis for the Cause of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker’s Decline. Monographs and the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Volume, 2:1-58. von Wied, Max Prinz. (1858) Verzeichniss der Vögel, welche auf einer Reise in Nord-America beobachtet wurden. Journal für Ornithologie [Journal for Ornithology] VI(no. 36) (November): 417-45. Available online at:
Wheaton, J.M. 1879. Report on the Birds of Ohio. Ohio Geol. Survey Bull. 4:187-628. Wilson, A. 1828. American Ornithology; or The Natural History of the Birds of the United States, Vol. II, pages 9-15. Collins and Co., New York. On-line at
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